PSALM FIFTY
BEWARE PLAY ACTING.
ASAPH was a leader among the singers appointed by David. With Herman and
Etyan, he was appointed to sound with symbols of brass and to prophecy with
harps and psalteries. This Psalm is in the form of a trilogy with prologue:
God's voice to His people; and God's voice to the wicked.
The opening would be better transliterated, instead of translated as it
is. It could read, EL-ELOHIM - Jehovah Speaks. He has spoken world-wide. It
is a call to solemn judgment. It is not a call from Sinai with its blackness
and thunderings. It is a call from Zion - the perfection of beauty - with God
shining forth. The sound of His voice and the light of His Glory, both
presage His presence.
God's voice to His people is clear. He speaks to condemn formalism. He has
been their benefactor, friend, guide, deliverer, and lawgiver. The heart of
man knows that his life should be continual worship. So he seeks to calm his
conscience by outward offerings and good works. These neither calm the
conscience nor satisfy God. God will often take the will for the deed, but He
will never take the deed for the will. The heart MUST always be in what we do
for the Lord. Some in Israel came to conceive God as requiring the death of
animals to meet some demands of His nature. Verse nine of this psalm denies
this. What God desires most in all sacrifices is a right attitude of heart
and mind in the offering.
God's voice to the wicked is in condemnation of hypocrisy. The Scripture
insists on pure motives and real sincerity. God sees man as a willing breaker
of the Law. He says He will call men to account. One of the surest signs of
swift destruction coming on a man is his hatred of reproof. He despises
warning and counsel. He rejects true doctrine and timely admonition. Man
considers it so easy to put on an act of being good. He may fool himself. He
may fool others. But no-one has ever fooled God.
The simple, direct, message of this psalm is:- Be thankful; Be obedient ;
Be sincere.
Copyright (c) 1995, Hedley Palmer. All rights reserved.
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file: /pub/resources/text/hpalmer/psalms: ps-050.txt
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